About Company
EmpowerAbility® LLC is an occupational therapy based consultancy specializing in environmental modifications, assistive technology, inclusive design and the impact of the environment on health.
EmpowerAbility® provides universal design, aging in place, home/environmental safety and accessibility consultation services to consumers, professionals and agencies with regard to products as well as the built and natural environment.
EmpowerAbility® also provides consultation, training and continuing education to healthcare professionals, design/build professionals, associations, state agencies and product manufacturers.
EmpowerAbility® LLC is an occupational therapy based consultancy specializing in environmental modifications, assistive technology, inclusive design and the impact of the environment on health.
EmpowerAbility® provides universal design, aging in place, home/environmental safety and accessibility consultation services to consumers, professionals and agencies with regard to products as well as the built and natural environment.
EmpowerAbility® also provides consultation, training and continuing education to healthcare professionals, design/build professionals, associations, state agencies and product manufacturers.
About Debra Young MEd, OTR/L, SCEM, ATP, CAPS, FAOTA
Debra Young is a certified specialist in environmental
modifications, aging in place, and assistive technology.
She is a registered and licensed occupational therapist with
a Master's in Education degree with specialization in
Assistive Technology (AT) from Bowling Green State University,
a graduate certificate in AT from Johns Hopkins University,
and a Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Therapy
from Elizabethtown College.
Specialty Certifications:
Awards:
Added Personal Experience...
Debra understands the special living needs of older adults and persons with disabilities, as well as their desire to live independently because of two very personal experiences.
Bill, Debra's husband, has a C5-C6 incomplete spinal cord injury resulting in quadriplegia. Their current home has been universally designed by Debra to create an accessible, barrier-free environment, while maintaining the aesthetics by integrating the modifications into the design of the home.
In addition, she has been working with her parents to allow them to safely age-in-place in their current home. From these experiences, Debra is aware of the need for a highly qualified home modifications consultant that can make appropriate environmental modifications recommendations, and has continued to pursue certifications and professional development to demonstrate her commitment to the field.
Debra Young is a certified specialist in environmental
modifications, aging in place, and assistive technology.
She is a registered and licensed occupational therapist with
a Master's in Education degree with specialization in
Assistive Technology (AT) from Bowling Green State University,
a graduate certificate in AT from Johns Hopkins University,
and a Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Therapy
from Elizabethtown College.
Specialty Certifications:
- Certified Woman Business Enterprise (WBE)
- Specialty Certified in Environmental Modifications (SCEM)--American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), (a distinction accomplished by less than 1% of occupational therapists nationally).
- Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS)--National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)
- Assistive Technology Professional (ATP)--Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North American (RESNA)
- Fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association (FAOTA)--a distinction accomplished by less than 1% of occupational therapists nationally.
- 2015 recipient of the Home Builders Association of Delaware, James C. McCulley Associate of the Year Award
- 2014 recipient of the AOTA Recognition of Achievement Award for notable contributions to the profession and its consumers in the environmental modifications specialty area of practice
- 2013 NAHB CAPS of the Year Award
Added Personal Experience...
Debra understands the special living needs of older adults and persons with disabilities, as well as their desire to live independently because of two very personal experiences.
Bill, Debra's husband, has a C5-C6 incomplete spinal cord injury resulting in quadriplegia. Their current home has been universally designed by Debra to create an accessible, barrier-free environment, while maintaining the aesthetics by integrating the modifications into the design of the home.
In addition, she has been working with her parents to allow them to safely age-in-place in their current home. From these experiences, Debra is aware of the need for a highly qualified home modifications consultant that can make appropriate environmental modifications recommendations, and has continued to pursue certifications and professional development to demonstrate her commitment to the field.